- Hey Munchies, I'm Alyssia
and the reason that I don't eat raw vegetables is simple.
They're bad.
They don't taste good and I don't like them.
That is literally the reason, this is not click bait,
I'm just being upfront.
But, I do have some points I want to make
because there's a lot of controversy about this.
Are raw vegetables healthier?
Does cooking vegetables destroy nutrients?
Eat your vegetables.
Some people suggest that high heat
kills vitamins and minerals that veggies provide
which is obviously what makes them so great.
- [Man's Voice] No!
- It turns out raw vegetables aren't always healthier.
- [Man's Voice] I need that, yeah.
- Put this back in the fridge.
- [Man's Voice] Put it back away.
- Raw vegetables do have tons of nutrients.
You'll get more vitamin C with raw veggies for sure
since it's one of the most heat sensitive vitamins.
Meaning, cooking temperatures and long cooking times
can degrade or destroy them.
There are other vitamins and minerals that are heat
sensitive too but they're not necessarily completely lost.
And there are some nutrients that are enhanced when cooked
and even some that can only be accessed
when cooked like certain carotenoids,
one of the most popular being lycopene,
which is predominantly found in tomatoes
and other produce like watermelon,
guava, red bell pepper, and papaya.
Lycopene lowers risk of cancer and heart attacks.
And some scientists even say, of course controversially,
that it may even be a more potent antioxidant
than vitamin C.
Now, we already talked about how vitamin C
is one of the nutrients that's subject to heat damage.
So while tomatoes contain vitamin C,
if you eat them uncooked,
you're losing out on the lycopene
and if you eat them cooked,
you're losing out on the vitamin C.
Can you win?
It doesn't matter.
Well, of course all of these nutrients matter.
But the question is, is the trade off worth it?
Cooking veggies can destroy vitamin C but it doesn't mean
that you aren't getting other nutrients.
All nutrients are not created equal and it's silly for us
to presume that they would all react
the same to different environments.
Plus, vitamin C is pretty easy to get in other sources
and more easily and tastily than raw veggies.
A cup of strawberries for instance actually has more
vitamin C than even an orange,
the touted vitamin C powerhouse.
Would you rather eat a cup of strawberries
or a cup of raw broccoli?
Here's the thing, that was a trick question.
I obviously let you know through my delivery
that I would rather eat the strawberries.
But, there's no right or wrong.
If you would rather eat the cup of raw broccoli,
that's great.
Perfect even.
More power to ya.
But the point is,
you don't need to feel like you must eat raw veggies
to absorb the nutrients or get the nutrient intake
that your body needs.
There are other ways.
That's why we want to taste the rainbow.
Here's some information I came across
while researching this topic.
Broccoli could be healthier when raw because...
Well, it's really complicated science
but to get to the point, blah, blah, blah,
the heat damages a compound called sulforaphane.
Which helps to kill pre-cancerous cells.
But, what I also found is that cruciferous veggies
like broccoli when cooked also form a compound called indole
which helps to kill pre-cancerous cells
before they turn malignant.
Hmm, so which do you want?
The benefits of the raw or the cooked?
It's complicated to compare cooked versus raw veggies.
There are a lot of variables and still many mysteries
surrounding the science of how different molecules
and plants interact with the human body.
Another interesting controversy,
some claim that boiling and steaming vegetables
better preserves antioxidants.
- [Man's Voice] No!
- But, some scientists say cooking vegetables in water
is worse because you'll lose vitamins
as they leach out into the cooking water.
Do they really know the answer?
Do we have enough evidence?
Right now it seems no.
As is the case with a lot of our nutritional science today.
Some studies have shown cooking certain vegetables
can actually increase the protein percentage.
Some claim that it's the shelf life of the produce
that makes more of a different
in the nutrition than cooking.
One study showed that after eight days in a fridge,
spinach lost almost 50% of its available folate.
It is a controversy for a reason.
Moral of the story, eating vegetables raw
has some advantages over cooked.
And eating some vegetables cooked
has some advantages over raw.
It's probably a good idea to get a mix of both
but you have to find a balance that allows you
to actually enjoy the food you eat.
And the only time it's really a problem
is when you aren't eating any vegetables at all.
Boom.
That's the end of the episode.
(upbeat music)